Skip to main content

Jazz 101 as written by TShaka Mayanja

I stumbled upon an article authored by one TShaka Mayanja (Bassist to the Band- BlackRoots Unlimited from Uganda) in the one of Uganda’s Dailies which in a sense validated some of the issues that I raised in a past blog.

The article seeks to answer the following answers:

Is Jazz music for the elite, “wannabe”, show-offs and the rich?

What are the origins of the genre?

What constitutes Jazz music?

How is Jazz marketed in Uganda?


TShaka (Pictured on the Left) kicks off by arguing that the high pricing of the various Jazz Concerts organized tend to attract only those that can afford (who are not necessarily Jazz fans) and there by marginalizing real Jazz fans that would love to attend but cannot afford.


He then gives a short and enlightening history of Jazz.

He defines the genre -Jazz music- or what constitutes Jazz music. He goes further and outlines the various sub-genres that are within the larger Jazz music.

He also argues that a majority of the concerts or shows organized under the guise of Jazz are not - again going back to what I highlighted in a past blog.

He caps it off by urging all concerned that we first define what constitute Jazz music and present or market it as such.

For more on the article: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/655851  


Though the article was targeted to the Ugandan audience, does this apply to us too?- Food for thought.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jazz & Soul Safari: The Beginnings, The Evolution & Growth, The 10th Anniversary, The Future and A Road Trip to Remember

The Beginnings The dream, the idea, to bring Jazz to the masses across East and Central Africa was first conceived by TShaka Mayanja, a well-known Music Promoter, Producer, Songwriter and Lead Bassist to the band, Blackroots Unlimited. TShaka later shared this idea with his friend and host of the popular Jazz Evening show on Radio One FM, Elijah Kitaka. With support from some generous sponsors the first Jazz Safari concert dubbed, “ The Sizzling Jazz Safari ”, took place on the 19 th December, 2008 right outside Ange Mystique at the parking lot. The event featured Saxophonist Eric Marienthal, drummer Oscar Seaton and host of other local and regional artists. And from that inaugural event Jazz Safari was born and off to a good start. The Evolution and Growth On its second edition, in the following year, it moved from the humble beginning that was Ange Mystique’s car park to set camp at the grand space that is Kampala Serena Hotel’s Victoria Auditorium. More recently, as...
1 comment
Read more

Ayub Ogada Live at the Goethe-Institut, Nairobi

This past Saturday I got back to Nairobi all set and eager to see live on stage Ayub Ogada . This, I understand, was his second performance in Kenya since he got back to country, a little over 2 years ago. It was going to be my first to see him perform live. Ayub Ogada stands out as arguably the best known Kenyan musician internationally, though still very much unknown or celebrated in his very own backyard- Kenya. On arrival at the venue, at the Goethe-Institut in downtown Nairobi, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by an overflowing hall.   It was literally bursting at its seams, figuratively speaking, I could not get a sitting space let alone a place to stand I was by the side door poking my head to see and hear this world music legend. And he certainly didn’t disappoint and more importantly the audience struck a chord with his unique sound and his mastery of the Nyatiti (a lyre-like stringed instrument). There was   group of young men (most likely college...
2 comments
Read more

CD Review- Baisikeli By Valerie Kimani

CD Review- Baisikeli Valerie Kimani, winner of Tusker Project Fame Reality Talent Show, secured a 3 year recording contract with Gallo Records,  and produced this stunning ablum Baisikeli. I can say for a fact this is a superb album no doubt about it. It is a mix of slow, mellow and a number of fast-paced tracks covering various sounds. Here, you’re definitely going to pick out unique nuances of South African and East Africa (Uganda and Kenyan) music intonations. The album features renditions of widely played and still fresh tunes like, “Fever” and “Besame Mucho”. And original, vernacular (Kikuyu) tracks like “Ngugi ii” and “Hoi and Hoi” are some of the highlights of this album. Here you can sense the great command of language (this being her native language- Kikuyu) as she belts outs these two incredible tunes to the listener’s appreciation. This affirms my strong believe in that, our greatest strength and potential to sell locally and internationally lies in us doing...
Post a Comment
Read more